Mistletoe
by Yes-4-Yuffentine
Summary: ' "Oh, well, let's not be hasty," Maria answered in a tone of mock seriousness, "After all, from what I've heard about your famous New Year parties, that's part of the experience. Isn't that why Loveday's 'never thought it a good idea for me to attend' until now?" '


Maria hated carriages. Ever since that first journey to Moonacre, when she and Miss Heliotrope had been tossed every which way and felt every single one of infinite amount of bumps on the country roads- well, now she held a deep and abiding loathing for the things. Usually, this didn't matter much, having become such an able horsewoman that she always travelled on horseback. But on this occasion, she'd been overruled; according to Loveday, riding through the forest dressed for the New Year's celebrations at the De Noir Castle, in the pitch darkness, was not a sensible idea. And naturally, as he wanted a peaceful life, Sir Benjamin had agreed with his wife.

So in light of this decision, and the awful forest roads, Maria was not in the best of moods by the time they did finally arrive at their destination. The carriage stopped and Coeur De Noir opened the door. Loveday descended with perfect dignity and grace, as if she hadn't felt any of the tree roots they had driven over. Maria, on the other hand, very definitely had felt them, suspecting that her originally elegant appearance must now look decidedly ruffled. And then she knew it because she could already see the smirk on Robin's face from where he was standing at the great oaken doors of the castle to receive them.

Robin always looked disheveled, but the difference was it was a look he could actually pull off. In fact, Maria thought he looked distinctly odd without a single leaf or twig caught on his person. But at least he still had his hat and feathers.

"Not a word," Maria warned Robin as she reached him ahead of the others. She pushed several of her red curls back into their place.

They all immediately bounced back out.

"I haven't said anything!" Robin protested, trying (and utterly failing), to look innocent.

Maria narrowed her eyes, "You were thinking it,"

"I wasn't thinking anything," He denied again, grin irrepressible now, "Apart of course, about how nice you look,"

Maria glared at him.

"Perhaps I did when we left," She gave up trying to tame her hair back into place with a huff, "Miss Heliotrope is always complaining how wild I look nowadays, but when I do try to make an effort they insist we travel in that awful thing. I can't win!"

"There you go again princess, complaining about those diamond shoes of yours being too tight," Robin tutted. Maria continued to glare at him but he merely raised his eyebrows condescendingly, "I daresay you've had worse journeys by carriage after all…"

She repressed an unladylike snort at this, eyes wandering to the scar on the back of his hand. "Well perhaps that's why I dislike them so much. Maybe I worry about being abducted since it's been attempted before-"

"-Attempted being the key word," Robin cut in, "I think I'd worry more for the person doing the abducting than you,"

"While your obvious concern is touching, it doesn't make travelling by carriage any better," Maria threw a disdainful look over her shoulder at the carriage again. Robin rolled his eyes at her, a gesture she caught out of the corner of her eye. "Well in would you travel in one?" She demanded.

"God no," He snorted. "I wouldn't be caught dead in one. But then I'm not a Lady,"

"No, you're an oaf. A hypocritical, arrogant, ignorant-"

"Careful now Princess, it's talk like that that got you thrown into the cells the first time you were here,"

"Not that it worked. I outwitted you all. And are we going to stand out here all night? It's freezing, they can follow us is their own time,"

Sparing his father, Loveday and Sir Benjamin who were still gathered at the carriage, half a glance, Robin turned and pulled open the heavy front doors, far more interested in pursuing his discussion with Maria.

"You only outwitted us, as you put it, because we never expected a proper little lady such as yourself to strip to her under clothes and run through the streets," He argued, following her through the doors.

"Well you should never underestimate your opponent." Maria shot back, letting him steer her in the right direction across the entrance hall.

"I certainly never have since have I? But I promise you, you won't need to lose half your clothes this time,"

"Oh, well, let's not be hasty," Maria answered in a tone of mock seriousness, "After all, from what I've heard about your famous New Year parties, that's part of the experience. Isn't that why Loveday's 'never thought it a good idea for me to attend' until now?' "

Robin had almost stopped as he turned to look at her incredulously, "If that's what you're here for then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed," He told her, moving off again. "Having a pet lion will rather reduce your popularity I should think,"

"Oh but surely someone here is brave enough," Maria reasoned with a playful smirk. "After all, Wrolf isn't here…"

"No," Robin's tone became harder, "But I am,"

Maria rolled her eyes, pausing again as they came to another set of heavy wooden doors, "If you and my uncle both get your way, I'll end up an ancient old spinster trapped in my tower forever while-" But she broke off as they stepped into the great hall, completely distracted. "Oh," She breathed, stopping in the doorway.

The hall look, well, magical. Huge, decorated trees stood in the two far corners, tall enough to reach the galleries above which had wreaths of ivy woven along their upper balustrade and stretched down to wrap around the supporting pillars. The tables running down the long sides of the hall bore masses of food and drink and were lit by the flickering light from hundreds of candles; the high back chairs on the dais at the top of the hall were crowned with winter flowers and sat behind equally burdened tables. Even the tomb behind the dais had been decorated, William De Noir's effigy festooned with garlands of leaves. Boughs of holly had been hung in available space and archway and their red berries gleamed in the light from the roaring fires lit in every one of the multiple hearths.

So amazed by it all, Maria almost failed to notice the De Noirs themselves, who were scattered about the hall, feasting, drinking and dancing. There was a good deal of raucous laughter and whistling coming from them, and it took her several moments to realise that the majority of this seemed to be directed at Robin and herself. She looked around in confusion, and glancing upwards, blushed to the same deep red shade as her dress.

There was mistletoe hanging in the doorway above them.

Caught completely unawares, Maria's embarrassment multiplied by the second. Why on earth hadn't Robin given her a heads up, so she would have known better than to loiter in the doorway? She turned angrily to confront him, but she was taken aback for the second time that evening by his angry expression. No, furious, expression. Her annoyance quickly transformed into confusion. Had he not known either? But while it was certainly an embarrassing situation, she didn't understand why it should make him so angry...  
It was neither the time nor place to ponder the point however and Maria's blush intensified at some of the rather more bold suggestions being called to them from the rowdy rabble of De Noirs. Rather than giving her a quick peck on the cheek so they could move out of the wretched doorway and away from the attention of everyone though, Robin narrowed his eyes, and singling out the main source of the jeering (his friend David), started shouting right back at him. The exchanged quickly turned into a heated argument between the two of them and to Maria's utter mortification, Robin strode off to pursue the matter with his friend. Leaving her there, alone, in the doorway, still under the mistletoe, and still very much un-kissed.

Maria wanted to sink through the floor. In fact she'd quite happily have jumped off another cliff again to escape it. She knew she'd been caught in some sort of trap which would have been embarrassing whatever the outcome, but it needn't have been so completely humiliating as well. Judging from the jeering of his kin, Robin was clearly supposed to have swept her off her feet, although any sort of kiss would have sufficed in its place. But she had received none and instead, her cheeks were suffused with heat from humiliation over the fact that Robin had been more interested in knocking the seven halls of David than in kissing her at all.

Rooted to the spot with her embarrassment roaring in her ears, Maria barely noticed Richard, another of Robin friends, bounding up the steps to her side. He was a charmer, had charmed many girls out of their virtue she knew, but at that moment he just looked annoyed and sympathetic. He swept into a bow and reaching for her hand, pressed a gallant kiss to her knuckles. A cheer rose up from the few De Noirs who had hadn't switched their attentions to betting on the predicted brawl between Robin and David outside the hall.

Tucking her arm into his, Richard led an unresisting Maria past the giggling girls and the half-drunk boys towards a quiet spot further up the hall.

"Don't worry princess, I'll kiss you anytime, you know you only have to ask," He reassured her with a wink, stopping to grab a goblet of wine from a passing serving wench and handing it to her. "Here, drink that. But remember that our stuff is much stronger that what you're used to, so -" He broke off though, watching as she drained it.

"-So you should probably go easy on it," He finished as Maria handed the empty goblet back to him.

"I'd like another please," She requested.

"As our princess commands..." Richard responded, bemused. He nonetheless left her to obediently go and find her another one.

It was as she was stood waiting for Richard to return that Loveday finally entered the Great Hall and spotting Maria, she broke away from her husband and father to hurry over to her.

"Doesn't the castle look wonderful?" She cried, "I always loved the New Year celebrations here!"

Personally, Maria couldn't help but think that she'd never look forward to the New Year or setting foot in the castle again, tainted now as the occasion and place were. But she listened attentively as her aunt happily chattered away. Richard returned, and handing wine to both Maria and Loveday joined in animatedly with h reminiscence. Between his sharp wit and Loveday's infectious cheer, it wasn't long before Maria rallied her spirits enough to start smiling and laughing with them.

So long as she didn't think about Robin that was. And this suddenly became very difficult because he'd clearly just returned to the hall, judging from the sound of his friends jeering again and the De Noir girls giggling. While some of the latter seem to have taken what happened to her as a warning to avoid going anywhere near the innocent sprigs mistletoe with him (which Maria had now noticed were hung absolutely everywhere), others girls seemed absolutely determined to get him back under one, presumably to show everyone how it was supposed to be done.

Well they're welcome to him Maria thought to herself, repressing a scowl and instead knocking back her third cup of wine. Now the initial sting of rejection had faded a little, she found she was more angry about the incident than anything else, to the point of feeling capable of cursing Robin, Moon Pearls or no Moon Pearls. Just who exactly did he think he was? What possible reason could he have for acting like such an ass? Glaring down at her now empty goblet (and whatever Richard said, in her opinion the wine wasn't strong enough), Maria turned towards him again.

"No, no more wine," Richard said firmly, anticipating her request and plucking her empty goblet from her, "Not until you've danced with me at least,"

Loveday looked around in surprise at this. "I'd have thought Robin would have been the first who asked you to dance-" She started.

"I wouldn't dream of expecting anything from Robin," Maria cut in curtly, "He's free do what it likes. I'm sure he know where I am, if he can bring himself to ask that is,"

Loveday's eyes flickered in confusion and she glanced at Richard. He just shrugged and grabbing the hand Maria had extended to him, pulled her away.

What was so special about kissing anyway? Maria mused to herself as Richard whisked her away. Loveday had built it up to be some sort of amazing, out of body experience, particularly a girl's first kiss. But Maria had already had that, and some experience that had been, gifted to her by some drunken gentleman at a social event in London. He'd grabbed her as she'd been passing and forced his lips on hers for what turned out to be very short lived kiss as she'd immediately thrust her leg up between his. Advice, incidentally, that an agitated Robin had given her the day before she'd left, still annoyed that she was going anywhere beyond where he'd be able to watch out for her.

But Robin not kissing her had somehow turned out to be worse than this one and only experience, which really wouldn't have taken much to beat. Had the prospect really been so very awful? No, Maria quickly dismissed such self-pitying thoughts, as she was not someone who felt sorry for herself. And it wasn't as if no one wanted to kiss her; not if the wink Will sent her as they waited for the next dance to start was anything to go by. No, it was just Robin who apparently hadn't wanted to. And who knew what he wanted? Perhaps because he held brotherly feelings for her. Although that still didn't explain why he hadn't just pecked her on the cheek instead of abandoning her there, like some sort of unwanted-

No. She wasn't going to go over the incident again. She resolved to put Robin out of her head, and put Robin out of her head she would. She was going to enjoy herself, and this was something which turned out to be far easier than she anticipated: one, because there was plenty of wine at hand whenever she wanted, and two, because her uncle's attentions were thoroughly preoccupied with keeping pace drinking with his father in law. Loveday, clearly uninterested in supervising either of them (for they'd reap their own rewards the following day), appeared content with sparing only the occasional curious glance at Maria and her brother.

Robin himself must have picked up on the fact that Maria didn't want to interact with him or was avoiding her as well. Either way, Maria was glad, for even though her enjoyment of the evening had been initially dampened, she didn't want to do the same for everyone else. In fact, she was determined to spend the remainder of the evening displaying just how supremely unconcerned she was about Robin De Noir. She danced with everyone who asked and accepted drinks from anyone who offered. Richard did both plenty of times, and although she was sensible of his reputation, she liked him; he was constantly making her laugh, so much so, in fact, that she failed to notice Robin's eyes so frequently burning into her back from the opposite end of the hall as he matched her cup for cup in wine.

It was near midnight when Maria finally felt she couldn't drink or dance anymore. Refusing some other De Noir offering her both and desiring fresh air to clear her head, she stumbled through a side door out of the Hall. The dark shadowy passages of the castle were easy for her to get lost in at the best of times, let alone when her mind was clouded from the effects of to many cups of wine, but Maria wandered along them anyway, certain that she knew where she was going, that the open air courtyard she was looking for would be at the end of the next passage, and then the next…

Several corridors later however, she was faced not with a door leading outside, but a stairway leading up to one of the towers. She let out an annoyed huff, at least not drunk enough to believe that the garden she wanted was floating high above ground up there. The cold air coming down the steps was a welcome substitute though, and restorative enough for her to admit that wandering around the dark, maze-like corridors of the castle, on her own, was probably not the best of ideas. Retracing her steps back to the hall before someone noticed she was gone, on the other hand, was a much better one.

No sooner had she gathered her skirts and rounded the first corner though did she run headlong into the one person she been so determined to avoid.

"What are you doing up here?" Robin demanded, barely seeming to notice the force of their collision, even as she bounced off his chest.

"None of your business," Maria answered, trying to catch her balance and ignoring the yammering of her heart from the fright.

"Of course it is," He retorted, "Now tell me where you are go-"

"No!" She interrupted furiously, "I'm not telling you anything, I've had enough of you for one night since you decided to humiliate me in front of your entire clan!"

"It was hardly the entire clan," he repeated dismissively.

"Oh, well, that makes me feel so much better," she scoffed, "I'll remember that next time someone sniggers behind my back!"

"If anyone does, you send them to me," Robin snapped with a scowl.

"Oh no, you do not get to defend my honour, not this time when it was your fault in the first place!" Maria hissed, "For Heaven's sake, why didn't you just warn me beforehand if it was such as issue-"

"Because I didn't know, David put it up there when I left to meet you," Robin's tone was impatient and his gaze flickered away to search the corridor behind her. When it returned to her, his expression had hardened. "Who are you meeting down here?"

"I- what?" This abrupt demand disarmed her momentarily, "Who am I meeting?"

"Yes. Who?"

"No-one! Why would you think I'm meeting anyone?"

"Aside from finding you in a remote part of the castle after flirting with about every De Noir in the place?"

"I have not been flirting with every De Noir in the place!"

When Robin only snorted rudely, Maria narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, I see. Was I supposed to hide away and stick to the side-lines all evening because Robin De Noir didn't want to kiss me?" She asked coolly, "Well here's a suggestion for you Robin: get over yourself!" She shook her head, her indignation returning, "Why did you have to make such a big deal out if it anyway? It was only a kiss, no one was expecting you to propose as well!"

"I didn't make a big deal out of anything, you're just over-reacting because I've wounded you pride," He fired back.

"My pride? You think it's just my pride that you hurt?" To her horror, Maria felt tears prick her eyes and she willed them away. "Listen to me Robin, I already have an over-protective uncle, a guard hound slash lion and a governess who refuses to acknowledge that I've grown up. So I do not need an over-bearing older brother as well!"

A look of immense irritation crossed Robin's face. "I am not your brother," He growled.

"No, I suppose even a brother would've managed to kiss my cheek," Maria replied bitterly, "So I don't know what you are or what your excuse is-"

"My excuse," Robin cut in harshly, "Is that it's no one else's business when or where or how I kiss you. That, is up to me,"

"Oh is it?" She snapped, too much provoked by his tone to really listen to his words or their meaning, "And what makes you think I'd want you to kiss me?"

"Besides you overcompensating the way you are for the fact that you do?"

"I am not overcompensating for anything, you are just arrogant enough to assume that everyone finds you irresistible! And I don't!"

"Oh, no, clearly not," Robin agreed sarcastically, "After all, you've been trying all evening to ignore me, haven't you? Just to prove how much you don't care. And yet despite all that hard effort of yours Princess, here you are now, all righteously riled up at the sight of me,"

"Don't you Princess me," Maria snapped, as ever finding attack the best form of defense, "And righteous would be the right word. So what if I am, as you put it, righteously riled up?"

"So, Princess," Robin informed her, "You probably do, as you put it, find me irresistible. Because, very clearly, you did want me to kiss you,"

The noise Maria made was supposed to be a dismissive one of complete derision, but it came out instead as a hiss of frustrated anger because God, he was right but so help her, she was going to have the last word-

"Even if I did," Maria hissed through gritted teeth with added emphasis on the last word, "It doesn't matter now because you've missed your chance,"

There was a pause as Robin met her glare with one of his own. "Oh have I?" He growled.

Had Maria not been so blinded by her own anger, and, as much as she didn't want to admit it, pride, she would, perhaps, have recognised the resolve that flickered in his eyes as he stepped forward.

"Happy New Year Princess," He breathed. And then with absolutely no hesitation or dithering this time, Robin tugged her forward and kissed her.

It took a moment for Maria's mind catch up with this turn of events, and when it did, she thought for the sake of her own pride she should push him away and shout at him some more. But as Robin's mouth moved against hers, not gently, not forcefully, but purposefully, there was a fluttering in her stomach and a tingling spreading from her lips to her fingertips.

No, she realised, she very definitely didn't want to stop. But she was Maria, and admitting defeat or going down without a fight was not in her nature. So, to make this clear to him, she compromised and sharply bit his lip.

Robin made a noise and pushed her backwards towards the wall. It was cold and hard but she failed to notice either, registering only that it made it easier to push back against him and kiss him harder. His hands clamped on her hips and she threw his hat aside to shove her hands into his hair and pull.

It all seemed easy, so very easy. She didn't understand how, in light of her inexperience, but maybe that had been cancelled out by all the wine she'd drunk. Or, perhaps, by the fact that she didn't care, because he was irresistible but she realised she could still be angry with him and get what she wanted at the same time. In fact this seemed rather an effective combination and somewhere in the back of her mind, she vaguely realised how girls could be so easily be ruined because without really registering when or remembering how, she'd ended up fingers deep in Robin's curls against the wall with her legs wrapped around him. And while she had no intention of going any further, she certainly had no intention of stopping either.

She supposed things always escalated quickly between them. He'd thrown her in his dungeons one of the first times they had met and then contradicted centuries of family history by helping her. They were a contradiction. They always had been and probably always would be.

So why shouldn't she start the New Year by showing him, non-verbally, just how angry she was with him? Kissing didn't change anything, but he did, however, owe her for earlier. So she was damn well going her money's worth out of him...

O

It was sometime after midnight when Maria reappeared in the Great Hall. Most of the De Noirs were too preoccupied to notice her as she slid onto one of the quieter benches. Or, so she thought, as not two minutes later, an arm reached over her shoulder from behind and cup of wine was set before her.

"So," Richard stated, dropping down onto the bench beside her, "Did you kiss and make up?".

Maria sent him a disdainful look. "Of course not," she answered dismissively.

"Oh really?" Richard raised his eyebrows and plucked a feather from now her very loose curls.

Maria took the feather from his fingers and looked across the hall to another of the side doors, watching as Robin, whose hat was slightly lopsided and feathers rather ruffled, surreptitiously slipped back into the hall. Glancing back to Richard, a satisfied gleam shone in her eyes.

"Do you really think," She asked slowly, "That I'd let him get off as lightly as that?"

Richard leaned back from the table. "Maria Merryweather," He announced, with some amount of approval in his voice, "Has anyone ever told you what a brilliant De Noir you would make?"

"I think you'll find, Richard," Maria replied, pulling the goblet of wine towards herself, "That I'm too smart to be a De Noir,"

Richard grinned, picking up his own goblet and raising it to her. "Well then...to mistletoe, wine, and interfering friends,"

She smiled back and raised her own cup. "I suppose so. Happy New Year,"

* * *

I've had notes for this since last spring, but oh my god, I just couldn't get the kiss and the ending right over the last month and a half. The short writing windows I get don't help, since I don't get much time to get into stuff properly and just over-edit, but I think the problem is sometime because of the notes. Usually, I get a really clear idea for something, and particular bits of dialogue and prose, which I write first. And then it get slowly filled in randomly, and naturally it expands. But then suddenly the original notes don't always fit, but I still try to get them to fit. And agonize and agonize over it until I start second guessing the whole thing!

For better or worse its up now though. Since it's vaguely New Year's themed I didn't want to post it any later than January, and this is literally the last hour of it! My personal feelings aside, I hope you enjoyed it, and please let me know what you thought! I realise that all these one shots may be getting a bit repetitive in nature (banter, bicker, smooch), but until told otherwise, I'm going to assume that's okay!

Wishing everyone the best for 2020!


End file.
